Colombia's Fragile Peace Strained: Attack on Military Base Heightens Tensions

An attack by the National Liberation Army (ELN) on a military base in eastern Colombia has resulted in the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to at least 21 others. This incident threatens to derail peace talks with the rebel group as President Gustavo Petro considers suspending negotiations.

An attack on a military base in eastern Colombia killed two soldiers and injured at least 21, Colombia's military said on Tuesday, escalating tensions between the government and one of the nation's largest remaining rebel groups.

Colombia's military attributed the attack to the National Liberation Army (ELN). President Gustavo Petro suggested that the incident might lead to a suspension or cancellation of peace talks with the rebel group. "This is an attack that practically closes a peace process, with blood,'' Petro declared during a ceremony for appointing a new judge to one of Colombia's highest courts.

The ELN ended its cease-fire with the Colombian government in August but remains engaged in peace negotiations aimed at ending over five decades of conflict.

The army reported that the group fired homemade rockets from a cargo truck parked near a base in Puerto Jordan, a small town in Colombia's Arauca province. Founded in the early 1960s by union leaders and university students inspired by the Cuban Revolution, the ELN has about 6,000 fighters and finances its operations through drug trafficking and illegal gold mining.

Recently, the ELN has expanded into rural areas abandoned by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, another large rebel group that signed a peace deal with the government in 2016.

After his election two years ago, President Gustavo Petro quickly initiated peace talks with the ELN and several smaller groups under a policy known as 'total peace.'

However, talks with the ELN have faltered as the group continues to engage in kidnappings and taxing civilians in its controlled areas. The ELN has also shown frustration with the government's recent efforts to start separate peace negotiations with one of its splinter groups in southwest Colombia.

The cease-fire between the government and the ELN expired at the end of August and was not renewed, leading to an increase in attacks on military targets and oil pipelines in Arauca province.

In a message posted on X, Colombia's defense ministry vowed to act with "firmness and resolve to restore security and stability'' in Arauca province.

(With inputs from agencies.)